Although computer networks have become relatively common both in office and in home networking environments, such networks are typically fairly sophisticated and require significant processing power, electrical power, and infrastructure to work well. Some networking applications do not require so robust a network environment, but can benefit from the ability to provide electronic communications between devices.
One such example is the Bluetooth technology that enables a cell phone user to associate and use an earpiece in what is sometimes referred to a personal area network or PAN. Another example is a mesh network, in which a number of devices work together to form a mesh, such that data can be sent from a source device to a destination device via other devices in the mesh network.
Mesh networks often include multiple links from a network node to other network nodes nearby, and can thereby provide routing around broken links or paths by discovering other routes through the mesh to a destination node. New nodes to a mesh network are typically able to automatically discover the mesh network when they are activated in the vicinity of a compatible mesh network, and can easily join the network. Mesh networks are often controlled by a coordinator device, such as a line powered device that acts as an interface between the mesh network and the Internet.
Mesh networks are often large, comprising tens or hundreds of nodes spread out over a wide area. Although each network node is able to communicate with neighboring nodes, the nodes typically will not be able to communicate with more than several other nodes in a typical network.
Although this is sufficient to ensure reliable communication of mesh networks in typical operation, it makes complex mesh networks difficult to configure or test in constrained environments such as a development laboratory where each node may be within radio range of most other nodes in a mesh.
There exists a need to provide wireless mesh network technology that provides for easy configuration and testing of such complex networks.